In today's press tour, we cover an article warning about the terms of the nuclear agreement between Washington and Riyadh, talk about King Charles' decision not to offer an apology or compensation for the slave trade during a tour he is taking in the Caribbean, and a study linking increased daily walking to improved mental health in teenagers.
We start with the Washington Post and a report on the civil nuclear cooperation agreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia, before Congress for review, which the newspaper says raises concerns about nuclear proliferation and the stringency of the safeguards imposed on Riyadh.
The newspaper said that the US-Saudi agreement does not include two of the most prominent guarantees contained in a similar agreement concluded by the United States with the UAE in 2009. Abu Dhabi agreed not to enrich or reprocess uranium on its territory, while the agreement with Saudi Arabia allows enrichment to begin at a rate of up to 5 percent, with the possibility of raising the ceiling later to 20 percent.
For comparison, the Washington Post noted that the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement limited enrichment to 3.67 percent for 15 years.
She added that Saudi Arabia can buy nuclear fuel from international suppliers and dispense with local enrichment, as the UAE does, but the agreement provides the possibility of establishing an enrichment facility after a joint American-Saudi study.
The editorial board believes that the second weakness is that Saudi Arabia is not obligated to join the Additional Protocol of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which gives the agency broader powers of monitoring, inspection and verification, while the UAE is subject to it.
She added that the UAE agreement allows Abu Dhabi to renegotiate its terms if another country in the Middle East obtains more flexible terms, warning that allowing Saudi Arabia to enrich locally with less strict oversight may push the UAE to demand the same treatment.
The editorial board mentioned statements by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in which he said that the Kingdom would seek to possess a nuclear weapon if Iran did so.
She also referred to secret documents that she said were presented to Congress and showed that the American intelligence community believes that Saudi Arabia is still open to the option of developing a nuclear weapons program.
The newspaper recalled the case of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in conjunction with the eighth anniversary of his murder inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, noting that the American intelligence services concluded that the Saudi Crown Prince “approved” the operation that led to his killing.
She added that the trial conducted by the Saudi authorities in 2019, during which they announced the conviction of eight people, did not lead, according to the newspaper, to holding high-ranking officials accountable.
It also indicated that Trump said that the nuclear agreement will not enter into force before Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords and recognizes Israel, while Riyadh says it will not do so without a path that leads to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
She added that it was not clear whether this condition was included in the text of the agreement sent to Congress.
The editorial board said that some members of Congress expressed skepticism about the agreement, but the lack of legislative time may make it difficult to pass a resolution to reject it.
The Washington Post concluded that Saudi Arabia should be bound, at a minimum, to the same conditions imposed on the UAE, including stricter restrictions on enrichment and nuclear oversight.
“King Charles will not apologize or offer reparations for Britain’s role in the slave trade.”
To the Daily Express, and a report by royal affairs editor Emily Ferguson, who says that King Charles will not issue a formal apology or offer reparations for Britain's historic role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade during his upcoming tour of the Caribbean.
Charles had previously described slavery as a "horrific atrocity that has left a lasting mark on British history".
Buckingham Palace said there were "important discussions" about the colonial legacy and the slave trade, but that the king, as a constitutional monarch, was acting on the advice of the government, which opposed a formal apology and payment of financial compensation.
The palace made clear that the tour program would not ignore what the king previously described as the darkest days of the past, while Charles is likely to renew his acknowledgment of past mistakes during one of the visit’s events.
According to the newspaper, the tour will focus mainly on the present and future of the countries the king visits, in addition to the environment, sustainability and youth empowerment.
Buckingham Palace said that addressing past inequalities remains the king's concern, while apologies and compensation remain the government's responsibility.
According to Ferguson, King Charles will begin his eight-day tour from the Bahamas on October 27, which will include youth and environmental events.
He will then head to Guyana on October 29 to participate in the commemoration of 60 years of bilateral relations since independence, also focusing on trade and the environment.
Queen Camilla will join him on the final leg of the tour in Antigua and Barbuda, where she will separately participate in an event addressing violence against women and girls.
Daily Express said that the tour will focus on local communities, culture, sustainability, environment and youth empowerment, and the king is expected to participate in about 30 events during the three visits.
"Walking to school may improve adolescents' mental health"
To the Daily Telegraph's health editor, Laura Donnelly, who reported on a study suggesting that walking to school and increasing the number of daily steps may be linked to improved mental health in teenagers.
Donnelly wrote that the study, which included more than 5,500 teens, found that those who logged more steps per day showed fewer symptoms of anxiety, low mood, and behavioral problems after a year.
According to the report, every increase of between one thousand and two thousand steps per day was associated with additional benefits, without monitoring a level at which these benefits stop.
Those who walked less than five thousand steps per day were the most likely to report mental health problems, while symptoms decreased among those who recorded about eight thousand steps, and were at their lowest levels among those who walked 12 thousand steps or more.
Dr. Amanda Baloch, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said that the benefit does not require intense sports activity, noting that simple methods such as walking to school or active play can help increase movement in a realistic and sustainable way.
